Life Course Outcomes
Research Program
Key Findings from the
National Autism Indicators Report:
Transition into Young Adulthood
This fact sheet summarizes key findings from
the National Autism Indicators Report which
can be found here: drex.lu/autismindicators. The
Autism Indicators report tracks statistics about
issues facing individuals on the autism spectrum.
These statistics set the stage to discover whether
quality of life for those with autism and their
families is improving over time.
The Life Course Outcomes Research Program is
building a base of knowledge about the things
other than clinical interventions that promote
positive outcomes for people on the autism
spectrum and their families and communities.
Outcomes and Disconnection
for Young Adults on the
Autism Spectrum
How we live, work and play are all connected. Where we live and our
ability to navigate within our communities affects where we work.
Workplaces provide opportunities for social connections which affect
our mental well-being and generate more opportunities for community
involvement. The sum total of the parts of our lives contributes to our
quality of life. This is true for everyone – not just people with disabilities.
It is a great concern when youth leave high school and don’t have
access to opportunities that will help them live as independently as
possible. Missing the connections after high school to jobs, continued
education, and opportunities for independence makes it difficult for
youth to begin establishing a quality adult life.
As you will see in this report, too often these outcomes are never
realized. We used data from the National Longitudinal Transition
Study-2 (NLTS2) collected in 2009 when young adults were 21 to 25
years old.
More disconnection for those with autism
Far more young adults on the autism spectrum were disconnected
from both work and education during their early 20s compared to their
peers with other types of disabilities. While over one-third of those on
the autism spectrum experienced disconnection, very few with learning
disability, emotional disturbance, or speech-language impairment were
disconnected in comparison.
The purpose of transition planning is to
connect students to work, continued
education, or other outcomes.
87%
37%
of young adults
with autism were
disconnected
from both work
and education
after high school.
More young adults with autism were
disconnected from both work and education
than their peers with other disabilities.
Autism
37%
Intellectual disability
34%
Speech/Language
impairment
8%
Emotional disturbance
7%
Learning disability
7%
Percent never worked or went to school
Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study-2
Autistic young adults reported a wide range of outlooks.
A subgroup of autistic young adults who were capable of participating in the NLTS2 responded to a variety of self-belief statements
regarding to how they felt about themselves and their lives. Nearly 60% indicated in the past week they felt enjoyment of life, and
about half felt hopeful about the future. At the same time, 60% indicated they felt depressed, and a little less than half identified with
feeling lonely (48%) and disliked by others (45%).
Over 66% of young adults on the autism spectrum did not
transition into employment or education in the first two
years after leaving high school.
Unintended outcomes - the flip side
of the story
When we track outcomes, we often think in terms of what
people achieved. We can also think about outcomes in
the reverse. Examining unintended outcomes – what
people did not achieve – can provide clues about priorities
for program and policy development and targets for
innovative transition planning.
Which outcomes were difficult for young
adults with autism to achieve between high
school and their early 20s?
Never lived
independently
81%
79%
68%
Never lived apart
from parents
No postsecondary
education
No employment
No community
participation
No services
Social isolation
74%64%
42%
48%
32%
50%
26%
24%
Percent experienced during their early 20s
Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study-2
Disconnection Factors
We explored factors that may be related to disconnection:
Household Income
Race and Ethnicity
Conversation Ability
Disconnect after HS
Nearly 65% of young
adults from lower income
households (<$25K) were
disconnected compared to
20% of those from the highest
income households (<$25K).
Fewer white young adults
(29%) with autism were ever
disconnected during their
early 20s compared to black
(56%) and Hispanic young
adults (60%).
Nearly 75% of those who
were not able to converse
at all were disconnected,
compared to 7% of those
with the highest level of
conversational skills.
66% of those with autism had
higher rates of disconection
following high school than
those with intellectual
disability (46%).
How to cite the source of this information:
Roux, Anne M., Shattuck, Paul T., Rast, Jessica E., Rava, Julianna A., and Anderson, Kristy, A. National Autism Indicators Report: Transition
into Young Adulthood. Philadelphia, PA: Life Course Outcomes Research Program, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 2015.
For more information, visit drexel.edu/AutismOutcomes
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